Deeper and deeper. Compared to the fires of Honnoji that threatened to consume one of you, the water would have been welcoming had it not been threatening to drown you. Faster and faster you were pulled downwards into a dark, inky abyss. How much further were you to be dragged by this current? The gentle twilight above had already faded. Indeed, even the goddess seemed to be a hazy memory. Her words, anything you conversed about like a hazy, fleeting dream.

Eventually, you could feel the current slowing, eventually bringing you to a complete halt. There you floated, motionless in the void. You could hear nothing but your own heartbeat. The blood rushing through your body. Down in this Abyss, deep in the bowels of whatever body of water you were submerged in there was an odd peace. Almost as if should you desire it, you could close your eyes and simply let go.

An eternity inside a minute.

Eventually tranquility gave way to movement. You were rising. Slowly at first. As though something was gently pulling you upwards. Vaguely, you might have felt yourself aware that you were being watched, almost as though something was watching you just at the edge of your limited vision, yet if you looked try as you might you could never glimpse it.

Faster now. Faster. You were rising further and further. The Abyss gave way to dim light. The water seemed heavy. Was this even water? It seemed to thick, and its color was slightly off. If you had tried moving you'd have felt it have almost a jelly-like consistency, yet you could not ponder it. Abruptly you stopped, slamming into some unseen force.

Something shattered.

You fell forwards, as though gravity had just now decided to work again...

---

@VitaVitaAR@PKMNB0Y
Location: ????

---

Nobbu would barely have time to catch themselves before falling face first onto the floor. Fragments of glass fell with them, scattering and breaking around them on the cold floor. Breath came heavily, it felt like her lungs were filled with water, and indeed after a brief coughing fit the viscous substance she had previously been submerged in finally ejected itself from her body.

The first thing, she might have noticed was the cold, crisp air stinging her body. It wasn't cold enough to hurt but it was most certainly enough to make one uncomfortable. Or would it have been the fact her body was well, entirely different now? Either way, once she adjusted to her new situation and took around, she'd notice she wasn't alone.

Misaki would awaken much like Nobbu had. She also apparently had been ejected from a cylindrical device of some sort. The one she emerged from was on the opposite side of the building Nobbu had emerged from. She'd already notice something wasn't quite right - she was no longer human, in fact, he was now a 'she'. Perhaps a divine prank? Well, he'd have plenty of time to think over this particular situation, supposed he lived long enough.

If one were to happen to inspect one briefly, it was just big enough to comfortably hold a human. Was this what they had been submerged in? No, it couldn't have been, that was definitely a sea of some sort they had been in, correct? Several tubes ran along the remaining glass sides, running from the base towards the top of the device. Near what was presumably once a door, a mechanical input device of some sort was seen, but it was smashed and broken. Perhaps the question didn't cross their minds. They had bigger concerns, after all.

After they had gathered themselves, they'd finally get a good look at the room they were in. The floor was made out of dark colored stone, faded and ancient having weathered centuries of elements. The walls, were the same, with odd smoothed, carved patterns decorating them just barely made out in the lighting offered by a few windows. The room itself was filled with remnants of what was once civilization. Tables had been knocked over. A few chairs remained standing, but most had been knocked over and some seemed to have been smashed to bits. Against the opposite wall, stairs led up towards presumably a second floor, but it seemed to have collapsed on itself, rubble now filling what remained. Most notably, however, were the weapons laying about the place. Spears, axes, swords, all manner of weapons in various conditions seemed to lay here. A spear had even been driven into one of the walls by force, cracking and embedding itself inside of it, unable to be moved. Those that were fully intact seemed in fairly decent condition considering their age. Nobbu in particular would find a few weapons she was intimately familiar with.

A doorway not far away, seemed to lead outside. A gentle dusting of snow could be seen on the ground from it and the windows, and beyond it more buildings seemingly made of the same carved stone.

Several more of the cylinders could be seen in various parts of the room, but all were inactive and shut tight.

So then, what would our intrepid future kings do, here?

@Crusader Lord@Cu Chulainn@Guy0fV4lor
Location: ???

---

Leannah was the first to 'wake' in her group. Much like the others before her, glass shattered upon the ground as she was seemingly thrust out of whatever these cylinders were. Unlike the others though, she wasn't cold in the slightest. In fact, for her, it was pleasantly warm despite the fact she was wearing extremely little clothing. She may, also, suddenly be aware of the fact she no longer seemed entirely human. Claws for her fingernails. A pair of fuzzy ears. A feline tail sticking out from her backside.

It seemed as though she had been released upon a second floor of some building. A large balcony stretched around the area, lining the upper floor. Shelves of varying sizes lined the walls, though all were empty. Looking up, showed a third level of empty shelves, though smaller than the second, and below, she'd see her new potential companions.

Malphas was lucky enough to not be one of the ones roughly ejected from the device. A glass door slid open, spilling the viscous substance within over the ground before quickly dissipating. Gently, he was released from the prison in which he had apparently been suspended in, his legs managing to carry him upright as he came to his senses.

Donovan was the last to regain his senses, like Malphas he was lucky enough to not be violently thrown from his place of rest. He would have stumbled out of his prison, coughing and clutching his chest as he coughed up some of the liquid he accidentally swallowed.

Unlike Nobbu and Misaki, it seemed as though the building they were in was far larger. Large black structures filled the multi storied room. Upon closer inspection, they seemed to be shelves of some sort, made of smooth stone and carved with the same patterns as the walls around them. A few desks littered the room, and other scattered pieces of furniture perhaps told the tale of a once inhabited place. A spiral staircase rose from the first floor, to the third however the stairs after the second flooring seemed to have all been destroyed, or fallen out of their frame ages ago making access to it difficult at best.

Windows on the second and first floor had a seemingly fresh pile of snow under them, a cold breeze blowing in from the outside. The door to the place was unhinged, making it impossible to close as it swayed lightly from the breeze. Towards the door, several weapons of various makes were scattered, but oddly they never made it far past the door.

So, then, how would the feisty feline, a future cult leader, and a construction worker respond?

@1Charak2@Pyromania99@Erode
Location: ???

---

Alice, the diminutive fairy would emerge like the others she seemed to emerge from some sort of cylinder, hers of a size specifically seeming for smaller humanoids.

Except

Hers seemed to be on top of small alcove hidden away high above the ground below.

In fact, looking around, there were various other items that seemed like they were purposefully hidden away. A few scraps of paper long since faded into nonsense, and a seemingly fairly well preserved book. Bound in ancient leather, clasped tightly shut with a lock. It seemed as though it was a place someone was trying to intentionally hide things. More importantly though, how would she be getting down? And below, she could already see two people getting their bearings.

Isidore, might find himself even further disoriented. Instead of being thrust out of his cylinder, instead, he found himself laying down, looking up towards the ceiling. After he shook off his momentary drowsiness he'd realize that somehow whatever his was, had somehow been placed or knocked down.

Bella had no surprises - only a splitting headache and a dull, throbbing pain in her left eye. A mild nauseous feeling washed over her and for a moment she'd feel like emptying her stomach. The feeling though, would soon pass.

The area they found themselves in was perhaps the least interesting. For the most part, it was an empty area consisting of what seemed to be two rooms separated by a partition which seemed to once have iron bars. The side they were in were somewhat concerning. Shackles. Iron, rusted metal chains hanging from the ceiling. The floor was made of cold, poorly fitting stone. With the other side being that smooth, black stone with those odd wispy carvings.

It almost gave the impression of a prison.

thud

Suddenly, the earth shifted, causing the entire structure to shudder.

thud

...no, that wasn't the earth moving.

thud

It was getting fainter, but it was far too consistent to be a natural phenomena. Something large enough to cause the earth to heave lightly was moving.

Now, what would the three unlikely reincarnators do?

As far as awakenings went, it could have been far more pleasant.

He had gone from flames to the sea. At least, he thought it had been the sea. To be honest, there was a part of him that hadn't believed what he was seeing before him.

A goddess? How absurd. He'd never believed in such things. He'd never accepted the existence of such beings. To him, faith was placed only in that which one could achieve with their own mind and body, and that of those who shared their cause.

And yet...

If he was dead, and simply seeing one final dream before the end, why not accept it?

The voice that came out of his mouth in harsh coughs could not be missed, as he tried to force whatever was inside of his lungs out. It was nothing like the deep, commanding voice he had possessed before his death.

Oda Nobunaga sputtered, a clear, viscous liquid splattering to the ground beneath himself.

Or rather, herself.

"Paah... how unpleasant," said the small black-haired girl, sitting back on her knees and gulping in air to recover. There was no denying the obvious, this was nothing like the body she had left behind at Honnoji.

Certainly, the clothing was to her liking. Black, and fine in quality... nearby sat what had to be a hat with the symbol of the rising sun.

But the body beneath them, well, even if she had not heard her own voice there was no missing the fact that she was now a girl.

"... Haha, is this to be my body in this world?" questioned the almost doll-like, crimson-eyed figure, "How unexpected! Not only to live again, but as a girl?"

She took another deep breath, filling her lungs as she rose to her feet. There was no longer a possibility of this being a dream. The discomfort of coughing up that clear substance was far too real. The feeling of the air on her skin, the fading dampness of her lengthy hair...

No dream felt like this.

Nobunaga took another deep breath.

The room had clearly been the sight of some kind of battle. Weapons lie strewn about, chairs overturned. A spear had even been embedded into a wall... how impressive! Had that Antler-bearer been here? Ah, but he would never have been unable to retrieve his weapon.

Her breathing was becoming more stable, now.

The small girl, of course, noted she was not alone. Sharing the room was a figure that was impossible to mistake as anything else: No matter how she did not believe in such mystical entities, the fact that her eyes had fallen upon a kitsune was impossible to ignore.

"I awaken as a girl, and alongside a creature of legend? This is indeed an auspicious start!" she declared, spreading her arms with a grin.

The fact that she had awakened where a battle had taken place, with no knowledge of her surroundings, was not lost on her however. Even as she spoke, she had noted that one of the weapons lying on ground was a very finely-crafted katana, beside its sheath. And it wasn't the only tool of war she recognized...

Arming herself only made sense.

"Am I to assume you, too, were so recently met with one who called herself a goddess?" she asked, picking the blade and its sheath up and reuniting them, "Perhaps after suffering an untimely end?"

@Rune_Alchemist@PKMNB0Y

---

...She'd just been isekai'd. Sure it was a cheeky anime-watcher's way of putting it, but she could only think to herself that she'd been isekai'd. Some goddess from another world, snatching her up and putting her in a new body and sending her here.

The catgirl took a look about the room as she took tentative steps forward, for the first few slightly wobbly as she felt the abnormal feeling of being in a new body. A hand came up to touch her fluffy ears. Her head turned back to look at her swishing tail. Her musculature felt...far stronger than it had ever been. Even the tips of her fingers, where nails should have been for a proper human being, were nothing but little razor-sharp claws that she testingly swiped at the air for a moment in play as she took more steps forward. It was all eyebrow-raising, but at the same time she felt like she was rather adjusting to it somewhat already.

Looking about, she took note of the layout of where she had appeared soon after she was able to walk properly enough. Grand sort of balcony, check. Whatever fluid had been on her evaporating rather nicely in an abnormal fashion, check. Empty stone shelves seemingly on a tier-like style and odd tube things, check. Looking down and seeing two other strangers spat out in seemingly a similar way, check. Large ominous black structures, giant-ass ruined building that seemed far too ancient, scattered varied weapons near the doorway, and being comfortably warm despite the lack of clothes which in the end she otherwise didn't mind? Check.

new ability and having talked to some goddess aside, this was almost deja vu to her in some twisted trope-aware sense of it all. Not that it was guaranteed to follow such a pattern, and she could swear one of the other guys was familiar looking in a very not-good way, but all the same she had to get moving and they'd have to do something. If that 'goddess' was right, then a guardian was here and it was NOT going to be good to get in its sights. If she didn't need more clothes to travel in all of this, then good for her at least. Meant she could carry more, if anything beyond a weapon was necessary at first...well, other than like food or something maybe. If it was around.

For a second she even gave a trained kick in the air to test her body, instincts and reflexes kicking in but almost stumbling slightly as she shook it off soon after. Yeah, as soon as she was used to this new body she'd be back in action. Didn't learn all of those martial arts for nothing, after all!

Leannah then did her best to quickly move down the stairs to get to the level below her, where the other two strangers (both men as it turned out) had emerged. No use trying to go up anyways. The woman gave a sigh, however, as she approached them and kept a sliiiiight distance just to be on the safe side. Tricky deities from other worlds, not something to rely on to always put you with the most familiar and safe people in a group survival situation (just ask that one shield dude from another isekai anime).

"Hey! You two, you're finally awake! You also talked to that goddess and ended up here too? Busted out here in some kind of fluid and tube stuff, like me?

But we probably need to get moving if what she said about a 'Guardian' here is meritable. Questions maybe for later. Some weapons are lying over there towards the door as well, and to be frank I'd prefer to get moving first and get out before we're spotted."

Of course, perfect first lines to total strangers in another world and all of this craziness. Totally couldn't backfire on her in two seconds with how she looked now or something. That being said, she wanted to be proactive in this before things hit the fan....and she really hoped they didn't hit the fan IMMEDIATELY at least.

Then again, waiting around too long fresh out of some divine life-making pod (for all she knew) in some abandoned building was never a good idea. Or at least so her instincts and fiction-savviness told her anyways.

She also wasn't sure if anyone else was here, but would assume the potential at least unless proven otherwise.

@Cu Chulainn @Guy0fV4lor

Death, needless to say, had not been kind to Mamoru.

It would have been one thing to have lived long enough to be able to make something of his life—spend more time with his friends and family, invest time into hobbies new and old—but dying so abruptly did not sit well with him. Neither did the supposed 'goddess' that had caught him before his consciousness had slipped away in its entirety fill him with any sort of inspiration. He had read enough isekai literature in his lifetime to get a grasp of the situation fairly quickly during the initial introduction, to the point where hearing of the task set out for him didn't faze him as much as it did annoy him.

Of course, that brief moment of consciousness soon gave way to darkness once more, and before long the young man found himself splayed out on the ground, groggy as the faculties that begot his regained consciousness took their sweet time returning. There was a pause as he slowly dragged his body, still drenched in some sort of odd liquid, off of the ground, and after a few moments of staggering and violently coughing out whatever was left in his lungs, he clapped his hands to his face as the sound of someone's voice caught his attention. Not necessarily because of the voice itself, though, but moreso the place where the sound was reaching him.

There was the briefest of pauses as he slowly moved one hand to to top of his head, and the feeling of wet fur coupled with long hair that, upon further inspection, reached past his shoulders only brought his attention towards the rest of his—or, rather, her new body.

"...Well, I suppose it could be worse," Mamoru sighed, clapping her hands to her face before shaking whatever liquid she could off of her body. Drenched clothing would do her no favors—doubly so given the chill in the air that caught her attention—and the now-foxgirl slowly cast her gaze around.

The most obvious thing to catch her attention, though, was the small girl standing in front of her, weapon at the ready. Though the change of her body had not caused any sort of panic, the presence of that black-haired girl...

"...Nobunaga? No, wait, that can't be right; that goddess must've just modeled someone's new body after that character..." she said to herself before shaking her head, as if to clear her thoughts, before recalling what it was that the person in front of her had asked. "Right. Well... You wouldn't be wrong there. Though it goes without saying that I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this whole affair... Wait, hold on."

Once she reviewed the words in her head, Mamoru took a moment to pause before staring directly at the girl standing in front of her.

"That Japanese just now was rather archaic... No, this has got to be some sort of joke, right?" she added, taking a moment to pause before laughing in disbelief. "I'm not even sure if there'd be anyone sticking to that sort of character in this sort of situation... I suppose that introductions might clear things up. My, uh... Hm. Name. I suppose that... Misaki sounds good? Right. Takeshima Misaki it is, then."

As she continued to attempt to dry herself (and her clothes) off, Misaki continued to look around the room, her gaze constantly returning towards Nobunaga as she attempted to get a feel for what had occurred in the room up until the time they had 'arrived' and to try and wrap her head around the situation given what she knew thus far.

"Seriously, this feels like something out of a light novel..."

@VitaVitaAR@Rune_Alchemist

Bella coughed as the cylinder opened. The mild nausea she felt caused her to fall to her hands and knees out of it as if she were about to heave, though this passed quickly enough as she stood. As she rose, a hand went to the throbbing feeling in her eye. Goddess? Power? What in the hell did she drink to have a dream like this? Vodka? Lots of Vodka? More Vodka than previously imagined? There was no way she thought of something like this. "I don't even remember drinking anything last night to get a headache like this!" She exclaimed, swatting at the air with her free hand in an irritated fashion.

The woman clenched her teeth and closed her eyes. This seemed to make the headache and throbbing disappear as well at least. "Good." She added, thinking on what the hell was going on. She was in some sort of pod from a sci-fi movie? That was odd, to say the least. Given the surroundings it seemed more like some escape game her parents forced her into since she never took much time to just relax. If one could call an escape game a way to relax. Now that she really got to look at her surroundings... "Where the hell am I? A jail? No, this feels like a dungeon from that castle we went to look at." Where-ever this place was, time had not been good to it. Not that rusted chains were an uncommon sight, but they would be able to break easier meaning no one cared to maintain them or there was no one to do so.

Bella let out a large sigh as slowly removed her hand from her eye and that was the first thing that she noticed weird. "Heh?" She question, holding her hand out to look at it better. First off, her hands were almost immaculately manicured. Her hands had never been like that before. She had all different sorts of marks and blemishes from the constant typing, writing and other sorts of menial work she tended to do. The fact that the only marks on her hand at the moment was dust from the floor was astounding to her. "What?"

Then she noticed that her hair was a hell of a lot longer than she had it. And it was blonde to boot! "What is this!? Who put this wig on me!?" Frowning, she dusted her hands off and tried to remove what she thought was a hairpiece but was surprised to find it quite firmly attached. "Ouch!" She exclaimed with the quick tug. "H-have I been in a coma for a while and they just thought this was funny?" No, that didn't seem quite right. Maybe that goddess thing in her head wasn't quite as made up as she thought. Unsettled, she glanced around the room still until she noticed a pod like hers was laying on the ground and there was a man in it. Whatever color was on her face disappeared as she realized she wasn't alone. "H-hullo!?" She flubbed, speaking in English this time with a fairly light accent.

It felt like she hadn't spoke English in a long time, despite having used it a couple days prior to the last time she remembered. "Are you okay?" She asked, extending a hand to the man. Her eyes narrowed as she was worried that this person was going to do something bad... But she was in some odd place that she had no idea about. She could only hope he had a similar thought process to her. "Let me help you up." Before she could really help him up though, the entire place shuddered! It was like something BIG was walking around! She couldn't even think about what. She looked up, somewhat frightened by the incident before she extended her hand again. "Come now, up you go." She seemed calm enough as she did so though worry was lightly painted on her expression.

@ERode

Ah-ha! She had certainly heard her name spoken by the fox-eared girl. It wasn't as if it didn't make sense, the girl spoke Japanese, albeit in a fashion that seemed somewhat different to that which Nobunaga was used to. Still, it wasn't surprising that one of her fellow Japanese knew her name in the least. She did not recognize the girl's name, but it was simple to discern that it was a newly-assumed one. That left the black-haired girl to assume that this form was not that which the kitsune had originally possessed. With that in mind, she could easily have been anyone. While her way of speaking Japanese was not entirely familiar to Nobunaga, that did not mean she could rule out the possibility of it being someone who had fought on the battlefields she was familiar with.

Or perhaps not.

There was no way of knowing which of the possibilities at play in her mind was true until she simply asked. Though, the more she thought about it... how was it that this Misaki thought of the name 'Nobunaga' on sight and then doubt it just as quickly? How was it possible to associate this new form with Oda Nobunaga?

Well, that would be cleared up swiftly.

"Oh? Your instincts must be quite sharp, to even guess at my name, Takeshima," said Nobunaga, smiling as she placed the sheathed katana in her belt, "For I was most certainly not born a woman."

It was only suitable to introduce herself.

"I am indeed Oda Nobunaga, Minister of the Right and the one who was on the cusp of uniting our homeland."

She paused for a moment. How much time had passed since her death? Would this girl be shocked to see her here?

@PKMNB0Y@Rune_Alchemist

Upon hearing Nobunaga's own introduction, Misaki was left completely speechless, her body frozen in shock as she slowly refocused herself onto the smaller girl. Certainly, if her own form had been changed as it had now, then it certainly wasn't out of the question for others to have the same done to them.

Even so, to have such a candid response without a moment's hesitation (unlike herself) in declaring their name and history...

Given the circumstances, it was almost impossible to deny that the person in front of her really was the Oda Nobunaga that had become so famous in the centuries since the Sengoku Jidai, but to end up looking like her of all people...

"I... I'm not even sure how to respond to that, honestly..." the foxgirl trailed off, massaging her forehead as she looked Nobunaga over once more before sighing. "No, actually, this actually makes perfect sense when you think about it. No one else during the Sengoku Jidai would want to assume Nobunaga's name, and the fluent Japanese as it is now..."

Even if it wasn't the actual Nobunaga (which could very well be the case), there was no real way to actually confirm the validity of that claim as things were now, and her knowledge only could serve her so well in verifying that statement. If it was the actual Nobunaga, though, then there was a far deal more to worry about.

Namely, not accidentally getting her head lopped off by one of the most famous warlords of that era. Even so, her scholarly spirit found itself winning out against her caution, and so the kitsune held her worry back for a moment before speaking.

"I apologize, but this is a bit much for me to process right now; after all, that's almost four and a half centuries' worth of time disparity, which, given the way that goddess was speaking, makes me worry a bit more about who else might have been thrown in here on her whims. If it wouldn't be too much to ask, though... Could I ask a few questions so I can confirm your words as truth?"

Within Japan, there were seldom men any more famous than Oda Nobunaga, and with all of what she had learned during her studies at university, confirming facts (even the oddities that most Japanese of her era would likely not even know, let alone remember) would be the fastest way to solve the issue. If that was the truth, then it seemed that the goddess wanted her to play on hard mode, so to speak, but if this was the real Nobunaga...

Then this is as much a lifeline as it is a noose around my neck.

@VitaVitaAR@Rune_Alchemist

Four and a half centuries...?

Immediately, Nobunaga's intrigue deepened. This wasn't so simple as this kitsune being someone from her own time period. No, this kitsune was someone from the Japan of the future! How fascinating! That implied the woman who called herself a goddess possessed even further abilities then she had already learned of. Not only could she pluck someone from death, she could do so from any different point in time. While in other circumstances the now-petite warlord may have been quite skeptical of such a claim, the extraordinary situation she found herself in afforded immediately believability to the the strange assertion.

The black-haired girl listened closely as Takeshima revealed her knowledge by questioning her, providing answers to each piece of information she asked about. From the black-skinned samurai whom she had placed her trust in, to the details of her strategy at Okehazama, to the rise of that monkey, she asked questions about things that could not possibly have been common knowledge. And Nobunaga was happy to give her answers.

It was extensive, far beyond what even the most experienced warlord with the most widespread information network could have gathered in her own time. That implied that it was information that she had obtained via the preservation of documents at the time, which lent further credence to the claim she came from the future.

"Fantastic!" she declared, "I would have been sorely disappointed if my campaign had gone unremembered."

She clapped her hands together.

"But now that I have answered your questions, I have some for you myself," added the diminutive daimyo, "Tell me, what is the Japan of four and a half centuries hence like? How were you able to associate my new form with the name 'Oda Nobunaga'? Surely, if historians have recorded my life and exploits in such detail they would not have mistaken me for a woman."

@Rune_Alchemist@PKMNB0Y

Isidore gasped, his lungs heaving in air before he coughed violently, heart hammering against his rib cage. The air tasted dusty, stale, and yet, it was amazing too. Mind-numbingly sweet, in a way that he couldn’t describe. Clarity came to him with a swiftness akin to waking up, and the man scanned his surroundings. Rusted chains extending from the ceiling, black shackles extending from the walls, and a partition where iron bars once stood. It was a scene that made for-profit prisons look good. But for all the dingy disgust that filled him upon seeing the room itself, there was one brilliant boon beside him as well. A woman of surpassing beauty, platinum hair like silk drapes, framing a heart-shaped face. Her proportions were as close to hourglass as one could reach without becoming wholly uncanny, while those eyes…those eyes could drown a man on dry land.

The slight worry in her expression didn’t detract from her beauty either, nor her humongous, almost bat-like ears, and though he would be remiss to refuse a lady’s hand, it would be even less tasteful to use her as leverage to get himself off the ground. Though he was but an old man, though he was once an honorless scoundrel, he could still pick himself off the ground fine. Bracing himself for the straining of old sinew and crackling bone, Isidore pushed himself off the ground and found his movements seamless.

His eyebrows raised slightly as he looked at his hands.

Ah. The Goddess who refused his respite was kind enough, at least, to offer him a body not so broken as his previous one.

The room continued to shake, but less and less, whatever massive creature moving through this prison travelling away from them. Isidore listened, counting the seconds between each rumbling quake, before nodding to himself, apparently satisfied. A prison, but old and in disrepair. A warden of prodigious size, no doubt from taking too many bribes and pizza slices, roaming the hallways and looking from prisoners to thoughtlessly brutalize. A beauty with big ears, no weapons but what chains he could tear out from the ceiling and walls. He hadn’t expected to be back on the field like this, but, well, he hadn’t expected any afterlife beyond Satan’s lake of fire either.

“Call me Isidore,” he said, finally addressing the beauty in a tone much different from his gravelly, chainsmoker voice. It was a crisp baritone instead, so youthful it brought in mind his daughter’s first boyfriend. Fucked up, really. “Permit me to ask two questions. Were you human once? If so, did the Goddess bestow a gift upon you as well?”

He patted his breastpocket for his smokes, only to realize his outfit didn't even have pockets there. No gift for him then, but maybe this was a sign that it was time to quit.

---

---

Oblivion, Gentle and reassuring and constant. Finally she could sleep it was over. It was all over. It wasn't the best life and she regretted everything about it. She held no hope for what lay beyond. she just wanted her blissful oblivion. Oblivion to comfort her and to keep her safe from those that would abuse her trust. How long til she would stop thinking? Eternity? Or was she only dead for a few moments that the mind processed as an infinite amount of time.

Hatred. That is what she felt towards humanity. She had tried to suppress the fact she had grown to hate everything and everyone as her life had continued to plummet closer and closer to the event horizon of despair. She had given the world everything and received nothing back but more pain and suffering. It sickened her to believe that the perhaps the fault lay with her and her alone. But at the same time, She couldn't consider her mind any other way. Civilisation was diseased if humanity itself wasn't but either way. She wanted nothing to do with people anymore.

Why was dying taken so long, surely she could slip into peaceful oblivion already. Come on! Dying wasn't this hard. Wait. A voice? Why did she feel so... No. She didn't want to go back. Not to a world full of people. Never again. Not with them. No. She wouldn't court with humans again. She tried and failed. She had rejected her humanity. So why on earth did this 'goddess' choose her? It angered her that she couldn't just sleep. She didn't feel like she could hope again so soon. She just wanted to rest for once.

Trying to fight against the rising within the abyss, with flailing ethereal limbs. She would try to push back against the rising trying to swim back down. Struggling against the ethereal hand as it lifted her. She wanted to stay in this embrace of the abyss. She wanted to sleep just a little longer. Just a little bit longer where no one and no thing could hurt her. This safety she had wanted was being taken away from her and as she threatened to break the surface of consciousness, the only thought in her mind that resounded true was. "Never again." She would never trust humanity again.



She took a sharp intake of air, falling forward from her tube as a result in the sudden shift in weight. She hit the ground lightly. Mostly as a result of how light her new form now was, falling over like that didn't hurt as much as it should. In fact it didn't really hurt at all compared to how it used to feel. This sense of floatiness bothered her. She blinked twice as the rest of the liquid evaporated off her body. Light would enter her eyes and she would be aware of her surroundings. Her shoulders felt so incredibly stiff. She flexed them a little and would hear what sounded like the beating of fly wings from behind her. Very loud fly wing beating, as if the fly had landed on her ear as she'd hit the side of her face to get the fly off her ear before beginning to haul herself up.

"Oh. That is not natural." Would be the first word she said though she would say them incredibly quietly. Even her voice sounded different. It sounded less raspy and more refined. Her reaction was to her skin tone. A ghostly gray-white like the cartoonish depiction of dead. She wasn't a living corpse was she?! She'd look up at her silvery white hair hands touching across her body as she felt what it was like, noting the smaller wings on her head. And... wait... She'd turn her head back to look behind her as she was on all fours. There for just a moment was a beautiful ghostly set of wings larger then she was, before they faded from her own view.

She took this rather fast moving scenario with wide eyes of alarm. Before slowly settling on appeasement. Good. It was good she looked more monstrous. It reflected her inner self better. She'd explore the nature of her new self later. For now a bigger issue had to be addressed... The floor beneath her was a stark white yet felt like paper. In fact it most likely was paper. 'This is just a cruel joke.' She would think to herself. It seems that the reflection of her inner self had been quite absolute. She was now as small outwardly as she had felt in front of others internally

She would look around at her surroundings. Slowly standing to her feet as she would brush herself off taking stock of her surroundings. 'These are some really nice clothes' She would say in regards to her outfit before scanning the room around her. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the fact she seemed to be in an alchove. She would step towards the edge noticing two people below her immediately as she'd dart back before she was seen.

So she wasn't alone in this room. She took a moment to breath. People were gigantic. The distance from the alcove was surely enough to break something even if her newfound lightness rendered her not likely to instantly die. Conversely she had wings now and yet she didn't have any idea of how to fly. Thus she'd spend the time listening in to the conversation of the people below. While practising hopping and wing flapping. She was attempting to at least be able to hover and then she could use... Yes! She could use that book with the lock on it as a way to descend to the ground by using it as a dead weight. So while she was hopping about her alcove looking like a total fool that was hopping and flapping her wings. She would be looking about to see if there was a key here too. IF not the book was naught then a dead weight. If there was a key. She'd at least read it first.

Thus she would be practising to hover and fly so she could 'fall with style' while listening in to the conversation of the two giants below. But not once speaking up to interject. She just listened silently. Safe to say though, the way their conversation was going was raising her small fairy sized eyebrows especially with the reveal that...

She wasn't the only one that reincarnated!

As Malphas drifted between the realm of life and death, he seemed overall content with the outcome bestowed upon him. Rolling with the punches was something he became accustomed to in his later years, after all. Mistakes were made, judgement was issued, and now he must live with this strange goal he has been tasked to accomplish in this new world. It wasn't something Malphas was against, either. After all, he was given a powerful blessing formed out of his wishes, a love letter to his own way of life. This Goddess wasn't half bad, either. Not exactly what he envisioned what a higher power would look like, but she was cute enough that if Malphas was otherwise unmotivated to proceed with her whims, he'd possibly solicit pictures of her feet in exchange for his service. It was a good thing Malphas already had his own goals in mind, however...

Of course, a second chance at reaching transcendence.

As the feeling of comfort was slowly replaced with the sensation of being submerged in water, Malphas did not once budge. He was, after all, used to holding his breath. There were many things Malphas had done in his life to curry on the favors of others, and... yes, exactly what you think. Mandatory swimming lessons were an important thing in his country if he wished to procure a boating license. That yacht was a fine investment, overall. Of course, it also helped that Malphas's own physique had become comparable to an Olympic athlete, so he wasn't overall bothered by the strange liquid surrounding him. That said, being released from this strange chamber was still a large relief on Malphas's part.

Making his way out of his tube, Malphas had on a soft grin, his eyes scanning the various parts of the large room they had found themselves in. He looked down at his rather drab looking clothes before noticing his pale skin. While he never was exactly concerned with getting a tan in his past life, Malphas found it strange that his skin had seemed just too flawlessly vibrant. Perhaps it's just the liquid's sheen left over on his skin? It didn't matter, either way. Malphas was confident that he was as beautiful and androgynous as he was in his past life.

Before he could completely regain his bearings, he was interrupted by two things. First, the sound of another chamber opening followed by coarse coughing. As Malphas looked towards that direction, he noticed a much larger man than him, one who had seemingly emerged from the same sort of pod he had. As he had began to speak, the second interruption had occurred. A catty woman appearing before them, almost... too catty. She had cat ears and a little cat tail waving behind her. Wait, what the fuck?

As she began to explain her situation to himself and the other man, Malphas grinned in response. There were others given similar gifts that he has! This was good, very good... It meant he had powerful allies to help him accomplish his dreams and, more importantly, leverage against them should they go against his beliefs. Clearing his throat, Malphas gestured his arm outwards in a welcoming matter.

"Rejoice, my fellow primates, for we have... Oh, my." Malphas was taken aback slightly by his new voice. It had a harmonious rhythm that he enjoyed. Malphas chuckled to himself, placing a hand over his mouth bashfully at this. "Ah, as I was saying... You both should have no fear in the coming Guardian, for I, Malphas, have been blessed with a powerful ability that should be able to protect us all. Perhaps we should introduce ourselves firsthand and go over our gifts with each other at the very least before we proceed onward, no?"

Malphas did not want to rush things. For one, learning about everyone else's divine gifts would help in figure out how they'll operate from hereon. Perhaps they were all given the same things, or maybe a few differences? Another reason why Malphas wished to halt before they proceeded towards the doorway with the weapons scattered about specifically. It seemed like there was some sort of dangerous hazard lurking near that path, and making their way immediately towards the weapons would potentially alert that presence to their location. At the very least, it would be best they all knew what they were capable of before a mistake would get them all killed.

Lastly, Malphas wanted to try something, himself. He closed his eyes, and focused on both the connection between himself and the Goddess as well as the connection between himself and the other two gifted in the room with him. He then opened his eyes, attempting to will his magical gifts towards his eyes. It was an attempt to see if he could see anything regarding the nature of his allies using their connection to the Goddess as a focus. Malphas wondered if the things he could perceive included his allies' statistics, which was an important thing to know before he made his next move.

---

@Cu Chulainn@Crusader Lord@Rune_Alchemist

It was cold in the void.

The kind of cold that made Donovan's old bones feel as if they were about to snap.

Yet for some reason... It felt oddly comfortable; the light ebb and flow of the fluids around him gently caressing his flesh as he floated in the limitless expanse.

But with a lurch, and sudden crash-- Don found himself ejected from the darkness, and spat out into an unfamiliar room.

Once he'd finished coughing up whatever god-forsaken shit he'd inhaled, Don noticed an immediate difference. The pain was gone. Every arthritic joint, knotted muscle, and aching bone in his elderly body had gone silent. He honestly felt like he was back in his prime again... Hell, even better than in his prime! That Goddess really weren't lyin' when she said 'peak human'. the man mused to himself as a smile stretched across his face. For the few moments he'd spent inspecting his new body, he'd failed to realize that he wasn't alone until a voice called down from the staircase on his left.

When he looked to the source, Don damn near snorted as he suppressed a laugh. A young lass with cat ears and a tail! Just like the one on the body-sized pillow of his grandson Carter. The kid was obsessed with something called 'annie-may', at first he'd thought it was a girl the boy fancied at school. Unfortunately that was far from the truth; as time, and that pillow would show otherwise.

Everyone in the family knew damn well the things the kid did to that pillow.

Before he could offer any form of reply, the other man in the room; who introduced himself as Malphas, spoke first. Even if the other two were chosen by the Moon Goddess just like he was, Don had slight misgivings about the man across from him. Between the voice and his effeminate looks, Don figured the lad three shades queer. But that wasn't what he found unsettling. Rather, it was the manner with which the stranger spoke. It was the kind of big words and flamboyance that salesmen and con artists posing as 'intellectuals' would use to sell their product to an unsuspecting consumer. Furthermore, despite claiming to have a 'powerful ability' and wanting to learn about everyone else's; Malphas had yet to share what exactly this 'powerful ability' actually was. Although Donovan didn't quite trust the man, he'd give him the benefit of the doubt for now. Everyone here was chosen for a reason, right?

"Tha name's Donovan," the large man introduced himself as it came to be his turn to speak, "Aye can build fast as twenteh men. Not much else to it."

Though it wasn't the most transparent answer, it still held fairly true.

Turning to the pile of weapons, Donovan narrowed his eyes as he looked over the available gear. "I agree with tha lass, runnin' intuh whatever's guardin' this place is a bad idea. Even if yer abiliteh can handle et, aye'd rather not take the chance. Weh should scavenge what weh can and get outta here."

Team Nippon
@VitaVitaAR@PKMNB0Y@Crimson Paladin

---

Nobunaga was correct in her thoughts that this place had been a battlefield of some sort. The signs were obvious, if one cared to think. Weapons strewn about. Wrecked furniture. The only question that might remain might have been where were the bodies of those who fell. Perhaps it had simply been far too long for any notable remains to be left behind. Whatever her thoughts, she quickly surveyed the weapons, and soon found one that she was familiar with.

Item received:
Ancient Katana
A weapon of surprisingly fine make. The age upon its scabbard and hilt are noticeable. Once finely crated decorations and blue embellishments have faded to almost being indistinguishable. The blade itself is of average quality seemingly made of quality metal, a weapon anyone could make with sufficient skill. As far as you can tell, it has no special qualities. It hasn't broken or rusted yet, so it should serve as a decent weapon.

As the two chatted away, Misaki questioning the veracity of Nobunanga's words and claims, their conversation would soon be interrupted by one of the other pods in the room. They got to see what had happened to them first hand as Novak was summarily thrown from one like they had. He had the misfortune to stumble right out onto a knocked over table, losing his footing and draping his upper body over it before he could quite regain his consciousnesses.

They were further interrupted by a shrill, resounding, noise from outside. Not seconds later a large bird with white greyish feathers would take a roost upon one of the windowsills. A bit larger than a vulture, the birds most notable feature was its large silver colored beak roughly the size of a dagger.

The rest of its body was covered in soft, grey feathers, its wingspan easily reaching a few feet long. The Avaian's head was narrow, eyes situated on either side of it. It raised its beak, letting out another shrill cry and tilting its head at the curious sight before it. A few more similar birds could be seen gathering outside on the ground.

It didn't seem overly hostile.

---

The Roma Mob
@ERode@Pyromania99@1charak2@PaulHaynek

---

As Bella went to help Isidore from his knocked over pod, something odd happened. The outer edges of her vision suddenly shifted. Everything briefly seemed to be tinged a soft, light blue. What could be described as a holographic screen of some sort filled the edges of her vision. At the same time, Isidore would notice the Elf's left eye light up the same color he'd remember the Goddess' doing.



Was this...information on Isidore? Now that she had a moment to think, the goddess did say something about a special ability which detailed information on something she was observing. Had it involuntarily activated? There also seemed to be something...odd mixed in with that info. Whatever the case was, the two of them were now allies for the moment it seemed, stuck in what appeared to be a prison of some sort. There didn't seem to be anything overly interesting here, and whatever was making the earth shake seemed to have gone, at least for now.

Isidore himself would have no trouble getting to his feet. Indeed, he seemed to be in better health than he ever had been even in his previous youth.

It seemed as though the only way they'd get anywhere is perhaps if they left. From their view into the room on the other side of the window, a door could be seen leading deeper into whatever building this was in - and as luck would have it, there was another pod on that side that just then seemed to release another person from its confines.

Nick stumbled out of the pod, and instantly upon regaining his footing he'd feel something incredibly off. As though this place wasn't somewhere he should be. Was this his ability at work? Certainly the goddess said something about sensing things that would be immediate in danger, but something was telling him that even if he was fine here for now, staying here long term would not be good for his health.

As for the fairy - flight would surprisingly come easy. It took a bit of trying to start with, but her muscles seemed to instinctively know what to do more than she did. Hop, flap. Hop, flap. Hop, hover, fall. It would take her a good few minutes until she finally was able to achieve some semblance of flight. It wasn't anything notable, but she could move without walking and taking forever now.

Sadly however, there seemed to be no key to the book in this location. Perhaps it was a precaution by whoever placed it here. This was a journal, after all - likely from someone who had been imprisoned here. Very likely the Key and the Lock were kept separate just in case one or the other had been found.

But that left the question of where would it have been? Or did Alice even care? Taking a look at the lock again, it didn't seem particularly strong. Perhaps there was a way to break the lock.

---

Team feet pics
@Cu Chulainn@Crusader Lord@malmshodes@Guy0fV4lor

---

Surprisingly for the cat girl, it seemed her body was better than it even had been on earth. Unused to both the natural strength and the features of her new body currently, she only ended up stumbling slightly. Yet she felt should she actively practice only a moment, all the new muscles in her body would easily fall into place.

As Malphas attempted to focus on his connection between him, the goddess, and the other two in the room, he'd be pleasantly surprised and both disappointed at the results. A hazy, fragmented screen of some sort appeared in his vision. As he would strain to keep his eyes on the image, it slowly began to solidify and take shape, and yet the information provided was less than ideal for what he would have liked.



He could have tried further, but soon he'd have to blink and the vision faded.

Leannah would be the first to hear it. One of the ears atop her head twitched involuntarily. Something outside was making some sort of noise, but it was like it was being heard through a muffled filter of some sort. The sound of stone grinding against stone, a low, rumbling roar of some sort in the distance. The sound made her hair and the fur on her tail stand on end and thoughts of this 'guardian' once again surfaced.

Still it seemed fairly far away, so they likely had some time to get some basic things done - like finding out how to actually leave this place. Perhaps even get a feel for both their abilities and each other.

Similarly, Leannah would find her ears perking up and responding to something else. Another pod seemed to have opened - And Abigail had the unfortunate circumstance to end up on the third floor this time. The aspiring hero was similarly launched from her pod like the others had been, except on the inaccessible third floor this time. As soon as she gathered her bearings, Abigail would notice this particular floor seemed spared from whatever happened to this place. Certainly everything was old, and any furniture had been smashed. The shelves lining the walls seemed to hold a few things however - books. They were old, faded, and definitely would have likely fallen apart at the slightest touch and even if they weren't, they were likely to have been unreadable after being exposed to the elements for so long.

The only question that remained now, was how Abigail would get from the third to the second floor when the stairs seemingly had been destroyed?

As she proceeded with questioning the young woman in front of her, Misaki's suspicions were slowly confirmed, for better or worse. Every answer given had lined up far too perfectly with what she had known, and even when she had thrown the occasional trick question or two in to possibly test if they were someone who had simply studied that era as a whole, nothing seemed to be out of place.

Really, that settled it; denying that it really was Oda Nobunaga in front of her (despite being in a body that was more in-line with more liberal media interpretations) was impossible now, which only made her worry about how exactly to tackle things. Surely, the only logical thing to do now was get on her good side... Right?

That would've been easier to do had Nobunaga not asked her about the Japan of her time. Explaining how she knew that the appearance of the one in front of her was associated with Nobunaga...

"Well, where do I begin...?" she mused to herself, scratching her cheek as she tried to figure out how to explain otaku culture to the premier warlord of the Sengoku Jidai. "The evolution of mass media in Japan? That... Probably works."

Having resolved to explain how multifaceted the portrayal of Nobunaga had become since his death, Misaki slowly began to work through how Japan had rapidly become a technological powerhouse before explaining the concept of mass media. With that, of course, came the general definition of how Nobunaga had come to be portrayed in the modern day, in every which way and form.

Needless to say, explaining to someone as storied as that how they became to be known as both a ruthless warlord, small girl, and every step in between over the last few decades was already taking years off of her lifespan.

"...But, well, that's the gist of it. I'd rather give a lecture on the evolution of Japan since your death, but I suppose that can—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of one more person being unceremoniously being ejected into the room caused the foxgirl to abruptly turn her head, only to wince as she saw what had happened to the poor sap. Though it wasn't the same as almost being cut up by the shattered glass of whatever had been containing them, crashing headfirst into a table was not the best of ways to start a new life.

What was more worrisome, though, was the massive bird that seemed to have entered the chamber. As was to be expected from a creature from a new world, though, the bird in front of her seemed to be both foreign and familiar to her. Given the situation, though...

"I will be the first to admit that the Japan of now is an era of peace, and that I've never held a weapon in my life," she said, glancing towards the weapons before turning towards Nobunaga, her body crouched slightly as she weighed her options. "That bird just seems curious for now, but I'm not sure if that's hold if it sees us as food... I think that the rest of this lecture can wait for now, then; what should we do?"

@VitaVitaAR@Crimson Paladin@Rune_Alchemist

---

Leannah seemed to blink slowly at Malphas as he spoke, seemingly reacting to his own new voice or something before continuing on. Between his familiar-ish appearance and the sound of how he seemed to speak and carry himself, it rang more alarm bells in the catgirl's head than she'd care to have heard. Perhaps she was acting a bit 'trope aware', but this was more her common sense kicking in after a lifetime spent around people of upper class standing who could spin a silver tongue top try to get their way with things. Nope. Nope nope nope nope.

At least the other man seemed to be more agreeable, if not rather Irish between his accent and that snort and near-laugh she heard from him. Or was it Scottish? Eh, maybe that was not a good question right now. He did seem to give off that 'simple working man' kind of presence, which she frankly could respect. Plus she could admire or laugh at her new form later, as even her senses were picking up quickly on something going funky around here.

Stone grinding on stone, and a low rumbling roar from far away. Not that it wasn't already close enough to be heard at least. Not only that, but the sound of another pod opening and the thunk of another person thrown out! The catgirl looked up towards the source, lightly grimacing before letting out a small, quiet sigh.

"Name's Leannah. Have martial arts skills, more so once I get a moment of practice in here to adjust to this new body. But sounds like someone else just joined the party to boot...and perhaps that Guardian is getting closer out there as well. So I'll cut to the chase," she said, trying to get to the point as she pointed up to the third shelf and the doorway in turn as she looked between the two men, "Mr. Donovan, would you be able to get some stairs or something simple rigged up to get someone down from that third shelf?

Then ah...Malphas you said? Malphas. Yes. Would you be able to help me scavenge some things up for us? Just enough to arm ourselves and try to get out at least, and try to make good time with it all before things go south.

Meanwhile I'll keep my ears open for whatever is going on out there as well."

Giving a nod to the men, the catgirl would then bluntly move to go do as she said she was going to do. Though along the way she'd cock her head towards the third shelf and call out just loud enough to make sure she would be able to be heard if someone was up there. She wasn't going to shout loud enough to try to call over the Guardian unintentionally, but just enough volume so that anyone on the third shelf would be able to hear her clearly at least.

"Hey, whoever's up there! We'll see if help can come your way, but we need to get moving out of here! So be ready to get moving once you get down!"

Then, trying to keep an ear on what was going on, she moved off to the side to actively practice for a moment. If she could just get her new body to fall in place, then she'd frankly be fine if they 'had' to fight. Maybe. Not that they would win such a thing if that warning was holding true still, but having those skills ready was better than nothing. Then once this was done she'd immediately go to look for some fitting weapons for herself, at a minimum, and see if there was an armor or other things here that might be useful to herself or the others otherwise. Nothing too much, just...just enough to be armed and get out of here in one piece.

Time was of the essence. Maybe the others would listen to her sudden plans for this, or maybe not. Either way she was taking action. Such was the nature of a survival situation like this one.

@Rune_Alchemist@malmshodes@Guy0fV4lor@Cu Chulainn

Nobunaga quite eagerly hung on every word. Some of it was rather unusual, but most amusing was the fact that her new form resembled a media depiction incredibly closely. So, they had reinterpreted her time and time again? Given her untimely death, the fact that she had left such a deep impression on Japan to be so widely utilized in all sorts of stories and interpreted in so many different ways was quite satisfying. Perhaps she had been unable to unify Japan, but she most certainly had unified its people in their remembrance of her conquest.

"Wahahaha! How fascinating!" declared Nobunaga, grinning, "So I am presented in so many different ways? Morever, the Japan of the modern world sounds truly wonderful! I should like to have seen many of these technological advancements, but alas it was not to be."

Truly, to see so many incredible steps forward in the world of technology... not simply for warfare, but for the consumption of the common person... merely knowing of them drove her to wish to know more!

It was at that moment, however, that another figure, this one a man, practically crashed headfirst through a table. She could not blame him, in all honesty, due to the rather discomforting way she herself had been ejected from the strange pod.

The birds did not frighten her in the least, but it seemed for the best that they made effort to leave this location.

"Nothing can be accomplished by simply remaining here," she asserted, "As such, we should collect this man and make our exit in order to more properly get out bearings."

@PKMNB0Y@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin

Malphas grinned as his spell seemingly worked! While the lack of information from his attempt at using his newly given magic may have seemed disheartening, the appearance of this "status" screen was more than enough to allow him to enact his plan. It wasn't the fact that he couldn't see the statuses of his fellows, but rather, Malphas was taken aback by the curt responses he was given by his allies. A lack of respect will surely be a problem he will face in the beginning, it seems. From what Malphas could understand, he will need to give these primates a reason to respect him... After all, if this Guardian truly was a force to be reckoned with, then they would have to believe in him, if they wished to succeed. In the end, it seemed he needed to enforce his own will upon them, whether they wished it or not. Before Malphas could give them a chance to transcend, they will learn to know their place!

"I'm afraid I cannot help with digging through the garbage. It is not my place to... and besides, it seems that those weapons there were scattered at that particular part of the room for a reason. Feel free to step into danger, but for our safety, I will not abide by such a self-destructive order!" Malphas looked down, crossing his arms as he shook his head. "Like I said, if you truly wish to defeat this Guardian, then you will be more than thankful when I put my abilities to the test... Which is why it is imperative you all should be defending me, instead."

"Unlike all of you, the goddess had been privileged to have given me two cheat abilities. The first, [Humanities Scion], won't be likely to help us here, especially given the mood. The second, my true gift, and yours as well if you put your faith in me...

"[God Hand]. Twelve miracles granted to me by the Goddess herself, limited in number, but limitless in power... Only, it can only shine if those who desire them choose to believe... Your lack of faith in me is obvious, and I'm afraid it will be your downfall... But I shall give you all a second chance, regardless! Rejoice in my first miracle!"

Malphas raised his arms as he focused the mana around him once more. He did not try and do anything complex, nor did he actually attempt to make a wish. Instead, he commanded the magical energy around him to surround and fill his body, to make it glow as brightly as it can be.

"O, Goddess, grant me your first gift... One of obfuscation, to mask the presence of myself, my miracles, and my allies, to hide us from any such heathens that wish us harm!"

Malphas continued to allow himself to glow, spreading his light towards the two who had doubted him, and even focused towards the third person, having recently emerged from their own pod. As much as could be done, he accomplished such, before slowly allowing the light to fade. Anything in his power to ensure his gamble would work. They did not need to believe him right away. All Malphas needed was to sow the seeds of piety, to fill these scared simians with hope. They will soon believe in him when the time comes.

"And there you go. I have wasted my first blessing just to keep us all safe. If you don't believe me, have a gander among yourselves. The Goddess had told us all we could see the unseen, yes? You will find that this miracle have mine has obfuscated such a gift among ourselves. If you do not believe me after all this, then all I will do is sit and wait in the safety of these chambers, obscured from whatever Guardian lurks these apocryphal halls."

Lowering his head and shaking it once more, Malphas awaited their compliance, or their deaths. Whatever came first.

---

---

Flight hadn't been easy, Her hopping and her jumping had been a little tiring, She was however incredibly grateful that this body at least seemed to have some form of muscle memory. With a few minutes of trying and a lot of exercise she seemed to have gotten a semi-hold on the movement of her body and its weight and dexterity compared to her old self. Her hopping about on her isolated shelf around that locked book had only just intensified her curiosity to its contents. Surely if she could open it to find whatever secret it contained she could use it as a bargaining tool at least.

Well considering the nature of the book, She had little means to break that lock and while she could attempt to use the glass to fiddle with the tumblers inside it, it was so small and thin that the glass would break off inside and she'd be even worse off. Ergo. She would lean down towards trying to cut the bindings that held the book together, with that in mind she'd try to acquire the largest sharpest piece of glass she could find. Only lightly touching it to avoid cutting her hand on the glass shards, She had no clue how fairy internal anatomy worked so avoiding a cut was probably a good idea!

Thus the Fairy would get to work moving the glass shards from her shattered 'pod' over towards the book. When she had acquired a sizeable amount of them, She'd pick up the first and get to work trying to cut through the leather binding to try to open it in order to gleam some sort of aid of the knowledge inside hoping that the leather was worn enough to make the cutting easier. She would have to be quiet though if she wanted to avoid drawing the attention of the individuals just below her. Even if they were reincarnated just like her. She couldn't trust total strangers just yet. That was a total folly.

"My, my, if I didn't know any better I'd almost think you were accusing me for killing you."

"Wait. Did you--"

A plunge into the water. Sinking deeper and deeper. There was no breathing in this place. But in this place, there was no need for breathing. Still, the one named Nicholas Gallagher was dragged into the void of this otherworldly ocean.

The sinking soon stopped but that was of little comfort. Nick was floating in what might as well be in the emptiness of space. There he floated with only himself and his thoughts. How long was he there for? A day? A month? A year? Or maybe just minutes or hours have passed. The nothingness of this place disorienting his sense of time.

But then something happened. He began to rise. Back to the surface, Nick first assumed but then doubted. He was rising faster now and a dim light appeared to break the void's darkness. He continued to rise until he hit the surface. Or perhaps a barrier? Nick was only given a second to ponder before it broke like glass.

---

Nick stumbled out, coughing out water that was not there. He looked back and saw a pod, one that looked like those rescue pods from sci-fi films. Was he there the entire time? How was he placed there? How did he come this place? Probably the same way he cheated death by being reincarnated into another world, he figured.

He left his thoughts with the pod and looked around the place he was in. Suddenly, a deep anxiousness or uneasiness fell upon him. Or perhaps it was fear. Whatever it was, Nick sensed he should not be there. Was this the power granted to him by the Goddess? It was uncomfortable but he supposed it was like pain. An unpleasant yet extremely useful feeling.

The room he was in was plain and nondescript save for a window on one side and a door that presumably lead deeper into... wherever or whatever this place was.

The sense of dread was still there. He should not linger here but Nick decided to check the window first to get a glimpse of an idea of where or what this place was. What he saw beyond the window was a little worrying. It appeared to be a prison cell judging from the iron chains hanging from the wall and shackles.

Inside were two people, one woman and one man, and a couple of pods. Pods identical to Nick's. Were they reincarnated people too? "H-Hey!" Nick called out to them. "You guys all right in there?"

Bella's eyes narrowed slightly as she gave a small frown when the man had rejected her help. The woman retracted her hand, wondering if he rejected her help because she was a woman or because he didn't want to accept help in general. She gave a light sigh before he asked her a question. Was she human? Did she have an ability too? Well. She couldn't say she didn't have an ability with this odd information box in front of her. Name: Isidore? Similar strengths? "Of course I'm human! Don't I look it?!" She asked, unaware of the odd size of her own ears. She sighed reading the first bit of information in the box again. "As for an ability... Name: Isidore. Physical and Magical Attributes, similar. Ability: Undying Will: A special talent attained through unknown means. Coats ones' body in tough, durable armor the more one sustains physical trauma and prevents further injuries. Seems useful..." She read the bit on his personal information until one part.

"Thinks my ears are humongous... What? You want to nibble on them?" She questioned taking a step back from the man before trying to cup an ear and finding them much larger than expected! "What in heavens...!?" They were rather large. She tried pulling them but got a similar sensation when she tried pull her hair off. "OWOWOWO!" She screamed. Quietly rubbing them a small bit, she looked at the man next to her. A small swallow later the elven woman had to question him. "W-why does it say you probably want to nibble my ear?" She blinked blankly. "No, no. You probably don't want to and this is a joke played on me. My name is..." Hmm. Perhaps she didn't need to use her real name. If this was another world like every unlikely thing was pointing to, she didn't have to be Bella. "Ahem. I mean to say, you may call me Augusta." She figured she might as well have fun with this. "And please, don't nibble my ears."

Now then. It would be best to get out of here right? With everything rusty, perhaps a little bit of force would cause anything to break pretty easily. Then there was a voice. "H-hey! You guys all right in there?"

Was that another person in this forsaken place? Perhaps he was in a similar situation to them. From what she could see of him, he seemed young. She glanced over at Isidore but decided to speak for both of them at the moment. She cleared her throat before speaking. "Yes, we're fine. Just fine." She studied this other person peering through the window. She had a feeling on how to use her ability now, so she should try to use it to learn whatever she could about people.

"I think I need some fresh air. It's a bit musty in here. Plus, I'm a bit interested in whatever made that thunderous noise and if it's something to worry about. We just need to get to that door over there, probably. Seems like the only way to go." It seemed reasonable to her. She just hoped this Isidore wasn't a cowardly type of person who would cower at the thought. He didn't seem quite so, at least.